The Long Way Around
by HIMluv
Summary: When a series of mysterious murders brings Mick, Beth, and Josef together how could it possibly come to a peceful conclusion?


"What did you just say?!" Mick demanded furiously.

"You heard me." Josef told his best friend firmly. The dark threat in his voice wasn't lost on the younger vampire. Mick shook his head angrily, and then let out a derisive snort. He couldn't believe it. "What are you going to do about this, Mick?" The 400 year old asked, anxiety tinting his voice.

"Nothing." Mick said after a short pause for contemplation, "Absolutely nothing." He then moved away from the stainless steel island in his kitchen and made his way to the desk. Josef was close on his heels.

_"__'Nothing__'__"_ Josef spat incredulously"What the hell do you mean 'nothing'?" Mick threw him an angry glance. "She can't know, Mick_. She can't!"_ Josef slammed his hand on the desk.

"Well, apparently she _can_," Mick told his friend sourly, "because she does. And so far, we're not any worse for it."

Josef rolled his eyes, "Yet." Mick sighed heavily. "Look, Mick, I know you've got a soft spot for her, all right. I would say, 'I get it', but I don't." Another heavy pause, "She's _human_, Mick. She _cannot_ know about us!" The P.I. ran his hand down his face; he got so sick of arguing with Josef about these types of things.

"What do you want me to do?" Mick asked, he almost sounded defeated.

"Fix it." Josef said simply as he leaned on his hands on the desk.

"How?" The younger immortal asked without lifting his eyes from a book on the desk. When his best friend didn't answer, Mick looked up. He knew the look in Josef's eyes, knew what it meant. "No! I won't do that!" He said fiercely.

"Then I will." Josef's whisper felt like a hammer blow to Mick's body. They held gazes, and Mick understood that Josef meant what he said.

"I won't let you hurt her…" Mick whispered, his eyes still glued to his friend's. Josef stepped back, taken slightly off guard by his friend's response.

"Then _you_ had better fix this." Josef started to the door. He opened it, and then turned, "I _will_ do it if you don't." Then he left, closing the door softly behind him.

Mick took a few deep breaths. He even counted to ten. But it wasn't until he picked up the book from his desk and threw it across the apartment that he came anywhere near feeling better.

_What was he going to do?_

It wasn't long, at least not to an immortal, after Josef left that Mick heard a familiar knock on his door. He groaned and stood up from his perch on the stairs. He went to the door, thought of opening it but instead opted to watch the blonde on the screen instead.

Her hair was down around her face, looking extremely soft as usual. She seemed excited about something, and her eager second knock brought a sad smile to his lips. He sighed and opened the door.

"Hey." He said quietly, failing to affect the happier tone he'd wanted.

"Hey!" She exclaimed letting herself in, as was her custom, "What took you so long?"

"I was upstairs…" He lied quickly, although he was _on_ the stairs so it was only half a lie. She snuck a look in the direction of the staircase.

"What _is _up there?" She asked curiously. Mick chuckled at her.

"Do you _ever_ stop being the reporter?"

"Nope." She responded playfully and pulled a goofy face.

"Didn't think so." He told her drily, "So, are you here solely to investigate my living quarters, or was there something else you needed?"

"Someone's defensive tonight…" She gave him an appraising look, "Have you been keeping an eye on Buzz Wire?"

"I haven't looked at it today," He said calmly, "Why? Something I should know about?" She shrugged.

"I'm not sure," Beth started, "A man was found dead in his backyard- but there was no apparent cause of death."

"Did the coroner have a look?" Mick asked, instantly intrigued.

"It's happening as we speak," She paused, "But this guy's death isn't the interesting part. About a block down a woman was found dead in her bedroom." Mick made to speak, but she kept going, "My source in the department doesn't think they're related…"

"But you do." Mick said simply as he sat down on his leather couch.

"Well yeah!" She said firmly, "They're a block apart!"

"So?"

"You're telling me you don't think they're connected?" She asked incredulously.

"Why would I?" He asked her bluntly. She looked oddly at him.

"What if I told you that the woman was involved in something occult- something_ sinister_?" He couldn't help but smirk as he watched her nose wrinkle at the word.

"I'd say you'd been watching too much _Charmed_." She rolled her eyes at him and sat down in the chair across from the couch.

"I'm not an expert," She paused when Mick laughed, "but I looked up the chalk symbol on her hardwood floor- she was _not_ a nice lady."

"Beth," He looked at her seriously, "I've been alive for 85 years, and I've never met anyone who could actually cast spells, all right?" His eyebrows lifted, and the leather squeaked as he stood up.

"Well…" She paused as she followed him to the kitchen, "I've been alive for 30 years, and I'd never met anyone who was _actually_ a vampire." Listening to that word come from her mouth forced him to recall his conversation with Josef.

"We actually need to talk about that." He said darkly.

"What?" She laughed, "You're _not_ a vampire? Good luck convincing me of _that_!" When he looked at her, the ice in his eyes stopped her cold, "What?"

"I…" He paused, trying to think of what to say, "I have a friend, he's- he's a vampire too. And well, he doesn't like the idea of you knowing about us." Beth looked at him, and he could tell she didn't understand where this conversation was going, "He _really_ doesn't like it."

"Ok…?" She thought for a moment, "What exactly can we do about that?" Mick groaned.

"Believe me; you don't want to hear his preferred plan."

"All right." She looked a little concerned, "What's your plan then?" He looked at her, and then to the ring on hand.

"I don't really… have one yet."

There was a long pause. Mick's jaw was set and his eyes focused on something far away. Beth couldn't keep her lips from lifting in their corners as she watched him. Then his eyes refocused, found hers and held them. As the blonde reporter felt herself getting lost in those eyes, her lungs stop working her brain flashed an image of Josh smiling brightly at her. She flinched and looked away.

"I- uh…. I have to go…" She managed as she showed herself out. Mick let her go, though his brow furrowed with concerned. When he heard his door clicked closed, he sighed, ran his hand down his face, and then went to get his coat. He needed to talk to Guillermo.

"How much this time?" Guillermo called before Mick even had a chance to announce his presence.

"That's not what I'm here for," the P.I. told his 'dealer' as he stepped into the room, "but… A sixer." Guillermo let out a soft laugh and headed to the ice box.

"What _else_ do you need?" The 'dealer' asked suspiciously.

"I need to see the body of the guy found in his backyard." But Guillermo was already shaking his head.

"It's already gone, man." He told Mick flatly.

"What?" Mick exclaimed, "He was just found this morning!"

"Yeah, the coroner took a look, said the cause of death was heart failure." Guillermo shrugged, "Clean and simple- no reason to keep the body around." Mick licked his lips.

"Do _you_ think it was heart failure?"

"I never saw the body… Do you have a reason to think it _wasn't_ heart failure?" Guillermo looked up at the considerably taller vampire.

"No," Mick said, quickly shaking his head, "But I thought I should check- you know," Mick flashed a grin, "Just in case." Mick quickly put the A positive pouches in the leather bag he had brought, and Guillermo shrugged again.

"Sorry, Mick. The body's gone."

"Yeah," The P.I. said with a shrug of his own, "Don't worry about it. Thanks anyways, Guillermo." And with that Mick walked out of the room… And into Beth Turner.

"Mick!" She exclaimed, putting a hand to her heart- he'd obviously frightened her.

"Beth…" He said calmly, and then intrigue filled his voice, "What are you doing here?"

"I was _trying_ to talk to the coroner, about the guy in his backyard, but he wouldn't even see me!" She told him a little hotly. Then she cocked her head to one side, "What are _you_ doing here?" She asked with a smug smirk. Mick returned the smirk and lifted the leather bag in his right hand.

"Take out." He told her with a smile. She eyed him carefully, so Mick acquiesced, "_And_, I was asking about your guy." Beth laughed wickedly.

"Did you find out anything?" She asked as they exited the morgue. Mick waited until he had put his bag in the car before answering. He leaned against the convertible and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Coroner said it was heart failure." The P.I. said carefully, "But… something feels off." He snuck a wary look at Beth.

"Like what?" She asked interestedly- as always she was in reporter mode.

"Like the body getting finished with already," He said quickly, "how the coroner didn't want to talk to you, and how _no one_ but the coroner messed with the body…" He trailed off.

"Someone's trying to hide something." The blonde said firmly. Mick nodded thoughtfully, and then shot a mischievous grin in her direction.

"You want to do some more breaking and entering?" The amusement in his voice was contagious. Beth smiled wide.

"Let's go."

As they drove Beth looked at Mick, but didn't say anything. After a few moments he risked a look at her.

"What?" He asked with a soft laugh.

"I have something to say," She told him simply, "But you're not going to like it." Her tone has become careful.

"What?" He asked again, this time much more darkly. Beth hesitated.

"Your friend… The one who's being rather paranoid?" Mick snorted.

"You don't know the half of it. What about him?" He finished solemnly.

"I- I think I should meet him." Mick looked sharply at her; too shocked to tell her the million reasons why that was a very stupid idea. "Please, keep your eyes on the road!" She nearly yelled at him. He kept looking from the road and back to her, but had yet to say anything. "Will you please stop looking at me like that?" She pleaded with him.

"Like what?" He asked after clearing his throat and looking back at the road.

"Like I've gone out of my mind…"

"You _have_ gone out of your mind!" He told her humorlessly, "There are so many reasons why you should _not_ meet Josef; I'm having difficult picking which one to tell you first."

"Well, he doesn't want me to know about vampires, but it's a bit late for that-" Beth paused, "What else can we do?" Mick sighed as he pulled up the dead man's house. He turned in his seat to look at her. He was about to speak, but she cut him off, "I swear, if you tell me to wait in the car, I am going to slap you!" Mick opened his mouth, and then closed it again before smirking.

"Ok then." He smiled sarcastically as he got out of the car.

After a thoroughly unproductive, and illegal, search of the dead man's house, Mick took Beth back to her car. As she made to open the passenger side door, he decided to speak up.

"Beth," She looked back at him quickly, "It's not a good idea… but I'll see what Josef thinks, ok?" His voice was dripping with doubt.

"Ok." She said in relief. Mick nodded, but didn't drop their gaze.

"Ok." He told her before throwing his convertible into reverse and pulling out of the morgue parking lot.

As Mick walked along the stone path that led to Josef's front door he took some deep, calming breaths. When he thought about the last words he'd heard from his best friend's mouth, he wanted to throw something. Or punch him. But he knew arguing with Josef wasn't go to get him anywhere- even if it did make him feel a little better.

Josef saw him through the glass wall and waved him in; nonchalant as always. As if they hadn't exchanged some rough words the day before. But, that was Josef. Unless you did something heinous, like cheat him out of money or something he wanted, he was a "forgive and forget" kind of guy. Maybe that's why Mick was such good friends with him; because Mick had a hard time letting go, but Josef held onto one thing- Money.

"Can I get you anything?" Josef asked silkily, knowing Mick would refuse. The younger vampire threw him an exasperated look.

"I'm good, thanks."

"Are you sure?" Josef teased.

"As sure as I always am." Mick said as he sat at the bar. Josef chuckled.

"Sure… but one day you're gonna come in here and you're not gonna be able to stop." Josef watched Mick tense, it was sort of amusing. "It'll be your reawakening! You'll be a born again Vampire!"

"Yeah, yeah. But until that day- No thank you."

"Sure, whatever." The elder vampire said as he poured two glasses of blood from an ornate decanter. Mick took it when it was proffered, but didn't drink it right away. "What? Now you're against anything taken straight from the source?" Josef asked before finishing his glass.

"No." Mick said defensively before downing the glass in one shot. Josef whistled.

"Although I'm used to you being predominately taciturn, something's bothering you." Josef paused, "You're much more sullen than usual. Did someone die?"

"Not yet." Mick said venomously.

"Ah." Josef poured another glass for himself and his friend, "_That's_ what's got your panties in a twist." Josef's comment earned him a very ugly face from his friend, "I take it then, that you haven't dealt with the issue we spoke about yesterday?"

"Not in the way you insisted."

"In what way then? Last time I checked we couldn't erase people's memories." Josef was getting irritated, so he started talking faster, his voice going lower. Mick took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

"She wants to meet you." He said quickly before taking another drink from his glass.

Mick had anticipated a number of responses from Josef: yelling, disbelief, cursing, and outright hostility. Laughing, had never really crossed his mind. But Josef _was_ indeed laughing.

"Did you make it clear that I wished her ill will?" Josef asked, "Not that it's anything personal. It's a matter of survival- you _used_ to understand that before she showed up."

"I told her your plan wasn't one she wanted to hear. She thought about it and said she wanted to meet you." Mick sighed heavily, "I told her it was a really bad idea but, well… she's pushy."

"So here you are…" Josef mused, and then made a cracking noise coupled with a whipping movement with his hand.

"Yeah, yeah." Mick said with a soft smile. Josef looked at him closely.

"Here's a thought… if you like her so much, why don't you just turn her?" The look Josef got from his best friend amazed him. Mick's face was absolutely abhorred. The younger vampire stood quickly, sliding his glass far from him.

"I would _never_ do that to her! She's better than that…"

"It's not like you're Coraline, Mick. You'd be nice and sweet about it, I'm sure." A mischievous smile played on Josef's lips, "Come on. Are you tryin' to tell me that you haven't thought about it?" Mick stood farther away from the bar, and shoved his hands in his coat pocket.

"Can she meet you or not?" He demanded icily.

"Sure…" Josef drawled, "Bring her around sometime, I'm sure I can make her… comfortable."

"I'll only bring her if you promise me not to do anything. Not to _try_ anything… Do you understand?" Mick told his friend stonily.

"What am I 90?" I'll be a perfect, well, almost, gentleman." Josef assured his friend. Mick gave him a distrustful look, "Honestly! I will!"

"All right…" Mick said slowly. They looked back and forth at another for another moment before Josef chuckled again.

"Get _out_ of here! Go! Vanish!" He said waving the decanter around as he gestured to the door.

"I'm gone!" Mick called as he left.

What neither vampire heard, as they parted, was the other say, "This is going to be interesting…"

"Did I somehow fail to communicate that Josef is nothing like me?" Mick asked Beth earnestly. She looked amused, sitting on his leather couch, "Because, I- I feel like you're not hearing me." He told her as he paced back and forth past his fireplace.

"He said it was ok that I meet him, and you said he promised not to do anything… Everything should be fine." She told him simply.

"You don't get it." Mick laughed humorlessly, "Josef? He has no qualms with his diet, all right?" The vampire had stopped pacing and was now looking straight at the reporter, "He enjoys what he is; he's not ashamed." Mick snorted, "He keeps women around for the single purpose of being an on-call snack." He'd expected this news to frighten Beth, but she kept her gaze calmly focused on Mick.

"Everything is going to be just fine, Mick." Beth soothed as she stood from the couch and went to him. Mick shook his head and rubbed his face.

"He's smart, Beth."

"So am I!" She replied defensively.

"He's 400 years old smart!" The vampire licked his lips, "He knows how to twist your words around and spin circles around your head, ok? You go in there and play 'little miss reporter' he's gonna eat you alive…" Mick paused, "I mean that figuratively of course."

"Look," She said as calm as ever, "I'll tone down the questions, ok?" Her eyes searched Mick's face, "Plus… you'll be there if things get out of hand." She told him with a mischievous smile. She moved to the chair across from the couch and picked up her jacket, "Are you ready for this?" Mick sighed at how eager she was. She should _not_ be eager. She should be frightened, panicked even.

"Not in the least."

"Beth, wait." Mick told her as she opened the passenger side door.

"What?" She asked, concerned by the pleading quality of his voice.

"Are you _sure_ you want to do this? One hundred percent sure?" He was hoping against hope that her mask of calm would break and she would beg him to take her home, where she would be safe from monsters like him. But he found only cold determination in her blue eyes.

"I'm sure," She told him for what felt like the hundredth time, "Maybe _you_ should wait in the car." She mumbled as she climbed out of the convertible.

"I heard that." He snapped.

It was the longest walk to any front door Mick had ever experienced. Seeing Josef through the glass wall with one of his girls at his side didn't make things any easier. As Mick and Beth drew closer to the door, Josef spotted them. He leaned into the girl, whispering into her ear. A moment later she was gone. Beth spotted Josef through the glass.

"Is that him?" She whispered curiously. Mick looked at her oddly.

"Yeah…"

"He's…." She searched for the words, "not what I expected." She lowered her voice even more as Josef came to the door.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" The disarmingly young looking vampire said smoothly, before leading them to his living room. Mick and Beth sat on the long sofa while Josef walked into the adjoining kitchen. "Can I get you anything, Mick?"

"No thank you, Josef." The P.I. said tiredly.

"What about you Beth?" Josef called silkily, "Care for a drink?" Beth looked at Mick curiously, and he curtly shook his head 'no'.

"Um," The reporter cleared her throat, "No, thank you." Mick heard the slight quaver in her voice and had to work to keep his face straight. Josef might not be frightening at first glance- but spend any amount of time in his presence and you somehow _know_ what he's capable of. Josef walked easily back into the living room, bringing two glasses and a familiar decanter with him. To Beth it felt like forever before he said anything.

"She's pretty, Mick." He told his friend conversationally, "Didn't think you liked blondes though, what with Coraline, and all." Beth felt Mick tense at the name; she had to assume that was his ex-wife.

"I _am_ sitting right here…" She reminded as firmly as her voice could manage. Josef laughed.

"Fiery too!" He crowed as Mick shifted uncomfortably.

"Is this you being a gentleman? Because you could have fooled me." Mick commented sourly before taking a drink from the glass Josef had poured for him.

"I said, 'almost gentleman'…._almost_." Josef threw him a wicked grin, "Don't get confused, my friend." A heavy silence followed, and suddenly Beth wasn't so sure she wouldn't rather be waiting in the car. Finally she cleared her throat.

"Um…" She paused looking from Mick to Josef. The former kept his eyes on his friend, the later was staring at her relentlessly, "I was wondering if you would answer a few questions for me?" She watched Josef's entire mood shift; suddenly the cool demeanor was gone.

"What for?" He asked so coldly that it sent shivers up her spine, "So you can write another cute vampire story?" She almost flinched at the venom dripping from his voice.

"No." She told him bravely, "I'm just curious…"

"Yeah," He sneered, "'Curious' is what got us in this mess to begin with." She felt the vampire beside her shift again. She wondered just how tense he could actually become. Would his muscles snap?

"What exactly is 'this mess'?" She asked coolly. She noted that Mick's shoulders tensed even more. Josef threw his friend a cold look.

"You." Josef told her, his voice low, "_You're_ 'this mess'. We've been living in LA for decades, and _you_ come along and threaten to expose us in two weeks!" Mick sighed at his friend's penchant for melodrama.

"I'm not going to expose you-" Beth started, but Josef cut her off.

"Look," He interrupted harshly, "Our _existence_ depends on this secret _staying_ a secret… Yours currently does not."

"Josef…" Mick warned darkly from the couch. His friend looked at him only for a second.

"But I can _change_ that, Beth." Beth fought the urge to look at Mick and see if his muscles had indeed snapped; because he was wound so tight she thought he was going to spring from the couch. "Do you understand?"

"Josef!" Mick said sharply as he stood from the couch, "Back off!" Beth reached out and touched his arm.

"It's all right Mick…" She turned her steely blue eyes back to Josef's deceivingly warm brown ones, "He's just afraid." Josef laughed again.

"Afraid?" He asked incredulously as he stood from his chair, "Of you? Not likely."

"Not me, necessarily, but of what will happen to you if you're discovered." She said simply, but the threat wasn't lost on the two vampires. Mick held a hand out at Josef, effectively stopping the tirade that would have ensued.

"Beth," He looked back at her, "No. Not now, all right?" He looked at her in disbelief, and then turned to Josef, "I need to talk to you. Now!" To Beth's immense surprise, Josef complied.

"We've got to do something about her Mick." Josef said as soon as they were out of earshot, "She just threatened us… we don't let threats exist. Never have, never will." Mick was lucky to understand his friend at all; his voice was so low and quick.

"Josef. She didn't mean it."

"Oh, yeah?" The smaller vampire asked with raised eyebrows, "How do you know?"

"Because, I know her." Mick caught the doubtful look on hi friend's face, "Look Josef, we're on the same side, remember?"

"_Were_ on the same side, Mick. _Were._" Josef adjusted his collar, "I'm starting to think you're on Mick's side- and Mick wants the human." The younger vampire took a deep, calming breath.

"Look…" He started, "What does she have to do for you to trust her?"

"There's nothing _she_ can do." Josef paused, "The only person I trust, on most days, is you… but your brain seems to have gone on vacation."

"Hey, it's not like I planned on telling her, all right?" Mick said in his defense, "She walked in on me at a bad time… it was unavoidable."

"It doesn't change anything…" Josef said slowly. Mick thought for a moment.

"What do_ I_ have to do, then?"

"What do you mean?" Josef inquired.

"What do I have to do make you comfortable with this?" Mick met his friend's gaze directly, "Because she's not going anywhere… "

"What if you just avoid her?" Josef asked half heartedly. Mick clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"I tried that already… as you can see, that worked really well…" Mick watched closely as Josef's brow creased in concentration.

"Ok… here's the deal." Josef started, "She can remain, for lack of a better word, but you'll be responsible, Mick." He looked at his friend closely, "Completely responsible. If something bad happens I am entitled to as many 'I told you so's as I want. "

"Thank you, Jo-"

"I'm not done." The brown eyed vampire said sharply, "If she does anything, purposely or inadvertently, to expose us… I _will _end her, Mick." Mick's sad eyes found his friend's and found the truth staring back at him. "Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

"You need to ask Beth that… not me."

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Josef asked, as if speaking to a child.

"I'm not _stupid_. I understand." Beth seethed. Mick looked between the vampire and mortal, and was surprised to realize that they weren't so different. Both of them were ruthless when it came to their professions, they both had sharp tongues, and neither of them was going to back away from something they wanted. Mick couldn't help but wonder why he always managed to find these kinds of people. Josef was about to open his mouth in rebuttal, but Mick intervened.

"Will you two please stop it?" He asked loudly, "It's like being a middle child between you two!"

"Sorry." Beth said.

"Deal with it." Josef said at the same time. The three of them couldn't help but smile a little.

"Really, Josef," Beth paused after the name, letting her tongue get used to it, "You don't need to worry…"

"You're gonna come to find that, besides money and degradation, that's all Josef's good for- worrying." Mick said warmly, enjoying teasing his friend.

"I'd probably have an ulcer- except, being a vampire I get to miss out on all the fun human ailments high levels of stress can produce."

Although Josef was completely rude, as was his usual personality, Mick felt slightly less concerned to have Beth and his best friend in the same room at once. Maybe some monsters _could_ have a happily ever after.

A week later Mick was just finishing his morning routine (syringe, blood, thirst quenching) when his cell phone rang.

"Josef?" Mick asked the otherwise unoccupied apartment in confusion before he answered.

"We have a problem." Josef said darkly. No greeting, no queries as to his friend's well being. Straight to business… that sounded like Josef.

"What _now_?" Mick asked without bothering to disguise his aggravation.

"Why don't you ask little miss Buzz Wire?" Josef asked venomously before hanging up. Mick sighed and tossed his phone onto the couch as he moved to his computer. He found the video and soon was watching Beth do what she did best.

"Early this morning, while looking into a disturbance report, police found a couple dead in their home. As of yet the pair has not been identified nor has a cause of death been determined. However, there is reason to suspect that these deaths may be connected to last week's mysterious deaths involving witchcraft. Is someone out there taking the spirit of Halloween a little too seriously? We'll keep you updated as we learn more. This has been Beth Turner for Buzz Wire."

Mick sighed again. Josef was overreacting, he was sure; but that's what Josef did. It's why he was still around. Mick decided that visiting Josef would be for the best.

"She never once said 'vampire', Josef," Mick reminded his paranoid friend, "She said 'witchcraft', not vamps."

"People think, Mick!" Josef's low voice cut through the quiet room, "How long do you think it will take before someone makes that leap from witches," Josef actually scoffed at the word, "To vampires?"

"What would you like me to do about it?" The P.I. asked with mock sweetness. Josef ignored the tone.

"Figure out what's behind these 'mysterious deaths'. And get your _girlfriend_ to leave her penchant for making us _extinct_ at home." Josef's caustic sarcasm was not lost on his young friend. Mick nodded as he stood from the couch.

"I'll see what I can do." He told Josef with a cheeky grin as he put on his sunglasses, and then he left without a sound.

Mick went to Buzz Wire's 'headquarters' to find Beth. Before he had a chance to find her, he was accosted by a large, yet attractive, African-American woman.

"Can I help you with something, honey?" She asked sweetly. The vampire was taken aback by her boldness and her hand on his arm.

"Um… Is Beth Turner here? He asked almost timidly.

"You must be Mick St. John!" The woman very nearly shouted, "Oh, sure she's here, hon. Most days I can't get her to go _home_!" She told him as she rubbed her hand up and down his arm, "Beth!" She shouted above the din, "Your guy is here!" Mick glanced around a little nervously until Beth came into his line of sight. He tried to keep a blank face as the boisterous woman left, but Beth could tell he was relieved.

"Mo can be a bit abrasive at first," The blonde laughed. Mick smiled in understanding. "What are you doing here?" She asked with a smile as she led Mick back to her desk.

"Business…" He paused, "And a request from Josef."

As Mick had expected Beth refused to budge on the angle of her story.

"I would have reported it the same way if I _didn't_ know about vampires!" She whispered hotly, "Josef is just being unnecessarily paranoid." Mick agreed with her and then asked about the dead couple.

"Can I come by your place later?" She asked as she spotted her boss pointing at her watch, "I have a looming deadline and Mo will kill me if I miss it." She looked at him apologetically.

"Yeah, sure." He nodded as he stood, and then shot her a killer smile before leaving the room.

Beth sighed sadly a few moments later; already missing the vampire- even if she didn't realize it. She was soon pulled from her subconscious Mick reverie by her boss's sudden appearance.

"Girl…" Mo started, "correct me if I'm wrong but, don' you already have a good lookin' man at home? What in the world do you need this guy for?" It took Beth a moment to fully understand what her boss meant.

"Oh! No, no. Mick and I are just friends." Beth told her with a laugh.

"Really?" Mo asked with disbelief, "Because he sure wasn't lookin' at you like 'just friends'…" Beth started to protest, but Mo continued over her, "And _your_ eyes weren't exactly innocent either."

"There's nothing going on between me and Mick!" The reporter insisted. Mo thought carefully for a moment.

"Well, maybe there should be…" The woman suggested carefully.

"Excuse me?!" Beth whirled on her boss.

"It's just that, I've seen you and Josh," Mo said sadly, "and you and this St. John guy?" She paused, carefully choosing her next words, "well, the chemistry's through the roof." Beth refused to look at her boss for fear of seeing some type of truth in her eyes.

"I have a story to write…" Beth said flatly.

"Mmm-Hmm," Mo hummed, "I'm sure you do." She told Beth softly before she returned to her office. Beth inhaled sharply and blinked her eyes several times in quick succession. Then she put her hand to her forehead and focused on her work.

Meanwhile, Mick had gone to the house of the woman who had died the week before. As soon as he entered the house he could smell the stale air of the unopened home. And bleach, or some sort of cleaner. He moved to the master bedroom where he found the floor sparkling clean. Mick searched the house up and down for any sign of an interest in the occult- but found nothing. He realized then that his next stop was going to be the morgue.

Mick didn't bother announcing himself since Guillermo always knew when he arrived anyway.

"Mick St. John…" Guillermo said without looking up from the cadaver he was cutting into, "What brings you back into my little world, huh?" He paused as he cut further into the body lying on the slab. The scalpel made a sickening slicing noise that would make most people want to vomit. Luckily, Mick and Guillermo were_ not_ most people. "You don't need more blood, do you?"

"No." Mick said quickly, "Did a woman's body come through here last week?" Mick asked as he glanced at the corpse in front of him.

"Yeah," Guillermo scoffed, "A dozen or more. Could you be more specific?" Mick shot his friend an annoyed look.

"I don't have a description, but I know she was found dead in her bedroom just a block from the guy who died in his backyard."

"Oh yeah- I remember that one," Guillermo said thoughtfully, "Coroner handled it, wrote it off as an aneurism."

"Right." The P.I. said sarcastically.

"You don't think it was?"

"Not anymore…" Mick ran a hand down his face, "Do me a favor? Keep an eye on your coroner; call me if he does anything suspicious."

"Suspicious like how?" Guillermo called to Mick's retreating back.

"You're the one who works with him! You should know suspicious when you see it!" Mick laughed, "And _call_me, no texts, all right?"

"What do you have against texts? They're quick!"

"Get outta here!" The P.I. chuckled as he left the morgue behind him.

Beth could be found knocking confidently on Mick's door after she left work. After a few minutes she knocked again, this time with more urgency. She waited a while more and then knocked so hard her knuckles hurt.

"You keep that up and you're not going to have a hand left." Beth whirled to see Mick exiting the elevator, but she didn't say anything, "You ok?" The P.I. asked as he unlocked the door to his apartment.

"Yeah…" The reporter shook her head as if to clear it, "I just thought something had… never mind." She mumbled as she walked into his apartment. Beth listened to the sound of his boots hitting the hardwood floor, to the faint click of the door latching behind them.

"Are you sure you're all right?" The vampire asked with a concern she could see in his eyes.

"Yeah," She told him with a falsely bright smile, "It's been a long day…" She laughed softly, "Where were you?" Mick knew she was avoiding something, but he let it slide for now.

"Talking to a contact in the morgue." He told her vaguely.

"I thought you said having human contacts is difficult?"

"It is." He said simply, "This one's not human."

"Oh." Beth said lamely. Mick couldn't suppress a chuckle, but when she didn't continue to interrogate him he began to worry.

"Do you want anything?" He asked softly.

"I could really use a cup of coffee…" She conceded with a sigh.

"I thought as much." He told her with a smirk.

She was too quiet. She was never this quiet. Mick watched her surreptitiously from the kitchen as he made the coffee. She was sitting on the couch, her eyes unfocused, with her arms crossed over her chest and working up and down her upper arms.

"Are you cold?" He asked as he walked to his fireplace and started it. The flames instantly reached up through the decorative stones.

"Thanks." She told him with an apologetic smile. He nodded as he went back into the kitchen to pour her cup of coffee. He also poured himself a drink. As he handed her the coffee he motioned to his own glass.

"I hope this is ok." He almost whispered. Beth reflexively looked at her left wrist before assuring him that it was fine. Mick waited for her to say something, anything, but she continued to sip her drink silently.

"Beth?" He called softly from the chair across from her, "Beth." He said with more force, causing her to flinch.

"I'm sorry…" She said, putting her hand to her forehead as she went a bright shade of red.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She opened her mouth to deny him, but he cut her off, "And don't tell me 'nothing' because I can tell that something isn't right." Beth heaved a sigh before answering.

"It's just… something my boss said to me earlier," The blonde paused, "it really got me thinking…" She said quietly, "Really got under my skin. I-I shouldn't have let it." She told him firmly, finally meeting his gaze.

Mick wasn't sure what commanded him, but he found himself moving to sit next to her on the couch; although he maintained a careful 'no touch' distance.

"And I take it you don't want to tell me about it." He said simply, but Beth thought she heard some hostility in his tone. To his surprise she was shaking her head.

"It's not that I don't want to, Mick…" She paused, her eyes dropping to the mug in her hands, "It's just that… I need to figure it out first. And, it doesn't just affect me, so I _really_ have to figure it all out first." There was a long silence; neither of them was looking at the other.

"Well, _after_ you've got it all figured out… are you going to be ok?" Mick was afraid to look at her; afraid he had opened himself up a little too much. But hecouldn't _not_ look at her; and what he saw in her eyes scared him as much as it thrilled him. They were full of emotion, an emotion he dare not name. He refused to name it simply because he couldn't allow himself to hope she could think of him that way.

"I really hope so." Mick thought he was dreaming when he saw her start to lean in towards him. He was certain that with each inch that disappeared between them that he was going to wake up alone in his freezer. But he never did- and she was getting close... too close.

"Beth." He said softly, the pain in his voice evident as he turned his head away from her advancing lips, "We can't." He exhaled sharply and stood from the couch.

"Why not?" She asked without thinking.

_"'Why not?'"_He asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting to keep his temper under control, "For one, I _can't_ be with you, Beth… it's too dangerous." She scoffed and stood preparing to deny his reasoning, but he continued, "And second…. Josh Lindsey."

That stopped her in her tracks and simultaneously broke Mick's heart; as he was sure he'd just torn hers into a million tiny shards. Beth blinked a few times, refusing to meet the vampire's gaze.

"I-" She had to stop to keep her voice from trembling, "I'd better go." Mick didn't reply, he just watched her leave without another word. He heaved a sigh, ran one hand through his hair, and then the other down his face.

"_Shit."_

"What should I do?" Mick asked Josef in a rare moment of vulnerability. The older vampire did not respond immediately.

"Maybe it's for the best." He finally said with uncharacteristic compassion, "I mean… it _does _eliminate a threat." Mick did not seem to appreciate that train of thought, so Josef continued, "It'll be one less headache for you, Mick." The P.I. still seemed unconvinced, "Now she can go and have a normal life- a _safe_ life… That's what you want, isn't it?" Mick stood suddenly.

"I'm not sure what I want, Josef… and I'm not sure that it even matters anymore." Josef laughed.

"When you live forever, Mick, it's all about what you want."

"But what if what I want doesn't last forever?" The sadness in his friend's voice hurt Josef more than he would ever admit.

"Then you make it." Mick refused to meet his friend's gaze for fear that Josef would see the weakness in his eyes. Josef sighed, "You either _make_ it last forever, or you let it go, Mick."

"Then I'll have to let her go."

It had been a week; possibly the longest week of Beth's life. He hadn't called, hadn't stopped by, hadn't even 'bumped' into her. He didn't answer or return her calls and he didn't answer the door either; even when she knocked on his office door!

Of course, she didn't know that he'd almost called her innumerable time; dialing, hitting the 'talk' button, and then hanging up immediately. She didn't know that he'd marched from his car to her door and back at least five times in the last two days alone. She didn't know that she was all he could think about. She just didn't _know_.

"Hey." Josh greeted as he entered the kitchen, effectively pulling Beth from her thoughts.

"Hey." She replied breathlessly.

"You all right?" The deputy DA asked with concern.

"Yeah… it's just been a long week…" She breathed deeply before smiling up at him. He moved to her, letting his hand caress her face, and placing a soft kiss on her lips. _When did this start to feel wrong? _She asked herself.

When she heard a knock on the door, Beth practically leapt away from Josh in her rush to get to the door. She had to struggle with the lock, but eventually she managed to swing the door open. And there he was.

"Mick!" She breathed sharply. He looked stricken, which instantly put her in panic mode, "Are you ok?" He only nodded in reply.

"Can I come in?" He asked roughly after clearing his throat several times. She was about to tell him 'of course' but then she heard Josh call from the kitchen, asking who was at the door. Beth watched numbly as she watched the change in Mick's eyes; one moment open and hurting, the next closed and cold as ice. "I'll see you around Beth."

The blonde was frozen in place as Mick walked away from her. Then, as if doused by a bucket of ice water, she realized it was now or never.

"Mick, wait!" He stopped, but he didn't turn to look at her, even as he heard her footfalls catching up to him. "You came. Why?"

"I don't know." He mumbled as he shook his head in frustration. He still hadn't turned to look at her.

"Yes you do! You wouldn't be here if you didn't." Beth's voice was riddled with accusation. He inhaled deeply before he turned to look at her.

"Someone told me that, when you live forever, eternity is about the things you want…" He looked away from her for a moment, "And, I think I know what I want…" He said slowly, his eyes finding it difficult to lock on her face.

"What?" She asked anxiously. He looked at her in a way that left no room for doubt. The moment, their soul-gaze, was tense, heavy. Mick wasn't sure if he was still breathing, and Beth's heart was hammering so loudly she was sure Mick wouldn't be able to hear anything else. However, _she_ did.

"Beth?" Josh called from the doorway, "What's going on out here?" He demanded as he joined them in the hall.

"Josh…" Beth started cautiously, but he didn't pay much attention; his gaze was honed in on Mick. The challenge between the two men was obvious, but Mick only stared long enough to give Josh an appraising look. Then he looked at Beth, letting his eyes saying everything the Deputy DA had stopped him from voicing. Then he was walking away. At least he tried to.

"Come back here! We're not finished." Josh told Mick as he followed him down the hall.

"I really think that we are, Josh." The P.I. said firmly.

In response, Josh swung.

Mick, being a vampire, was much faster than Josh. As the Deputy DA's fist swung at Mick's jaw, the vampire ducked, moved around Josh, and had the lawyer in a full nelson before the swing had any time to connect.

"Calm down." Mick ordered the attorney in a low voice. Instead, Josh struggled and so Mick tightened his hold, inadvertently making the lawyer cry out.

"Don't hurt him!" Beth cried, her voice full of fear. Mick looked at her with a hurt expression.

"I'm not going to hurt him!" The P.I. said defensively. He continued to look at Beth as if she'd said the most insulting thing imaginable.

"News flash…" Josh groaned, "You're hurting me." Mick sighed and let go of the seemingly calm attorney. Beth rounded on her boyfriend.

"What the _hell_ is the matter with you?!" She screeched.

"Me?!" Josh asked in disbelief, "You're the one making eyes at another man!"

"I can't believe you, Josh! Mick was just-" Beth had motioned to the vampire to emphasize her point. The problem was- he wasn't there. "I_ hate_ it when he does that!"

It wasn't the first time Mick had walked into his apartment and found his best friend lounging around- but it had never been less welcome.

"What do you want, Josef?" Mick asked shortly.

"Oooh. Testy." Josef comment with a smirk, "I see that you've done an _excellent_ job of avoiding Miss Buzz Wire…" He told Mick sarcastically. The P.I. threw his friend a severely pissed off look, but Josef brushed it aside easily. "That was sarcasm- I hope you caught it."

"I think I managed." Mick said darkly.

"Goody." Josef stopped and took a deep breath, "By the way?" Josef smirked once more, "She's just getting off the elevator." Mick quickly inhaled, letting his heightened senses do their thing. Josef was right.

"Damn it!"

"What?" Josef asked, sounding hurt, "Did you think I was lying?"

"I've known you for decades, Josef, and I still can't tell when you're being honest… you're like an imp." Mick ranted as he went to the door.

"An _imp_?" Josef asked, offense clear in his tone, "Are you suggesting that I am _impish_? If I am going to be any 'ish' it should be 'devilish'… hm… or maybe 'fiendish'."

"Will you shut up?" Mick asked in desperation as he opened his front door. The room instantly went silent. There was Beth an she might as well have been holding Mick's ruined heart in her hand, because her face was covered in tears and ruined make-up. Josef noticed the tension and obvious attraction between his friend and the reporter instantly, and it forced him to smirk.

"Yep." He said as he poured two glasses of blood, "Definitely 'fiendish'."

Mick ignored his friend's comment as he ushered Beth into his home. As he helped her to the couch, he threw Josef a pleading look.

"Could you please make her a cup of coffee?" Josef opened his mouth to protest, but Mick continued, "And I wasn't _really_ asking."

"Fine." Josef muttered as he looked dubiously at the coffee machine, "The vampire providing sustenance for the human… it'll be 'backwards' day."

"Josef!" Mick reprimanded from the living room. Josef smacked the coffee maker in agitation.

"Well, maybe you'd like to explain to me how this stupid contraption works!" Mick looked up at Josef sharply.

"Are you telling me that you don't know how to work a coffee maker?" Josef refused to make eye contact with his friend.

"Well, forgive me, but I've never really had the need for one." The older vampire sneered, but Mick just started to laugh, "Thanks, really. That makes me feel _so_ much better." Mick left Beth's side to relieve Josef of his ill-appointed coffee duty.

"Go sit with her… _Don't_ try anything." Mick told his friend forcefully.

"Do you think me tactless?" Josef asked archly.

"No." Mick drawled, "Just impish."

"Oh. Yeah. That's good." Josef said sourly as he vacated the kitchen, "Do I even get an apology for all the mockery back there?"

"No." Mick scoffed, "You get to sit you ass down."

"Fine. Whatever." Josef mumbled as he sat himself in the chair diagonal to Beth.

"I-I'm really sorry- I didn't mean to interrupt anything." Beth sniffed.

"Don't worry about it, Buzz Wire." Josef told her nonchalantly, his eyes soaking up every last bit of her.

"Why do you do that?" She asked suddenly. Josef blinked at her unexpectedly bold question.

"Why do I do what?" He asked smoothly.

"Stare at me like I'm something to eat."

"I would think that that would be obvious." Josef smirked.

"Josef!" Mick reprimanded from the kitchen.

"_What?_" Josef asked innocently as Mick appeared in the living room, "It _is_ obvious…"

"Don't you have some Stock Broker to harass?" Mick asked half-heartedly.

"Nope." Josef smiled, "I'm free all day."

"Great." Mick muttered as he handed Beth her coffee.

"Thanks." She whispered. It was silent for a few very long moments before Josef stood up.

"All right," He announced as he straightened and smoothed out his outfit, "It's obvious that I need to get out of here."

"I'm really very sorry…" Beth said again. Josef could tell she was being completely genuine, too. He sighed.

"Nah… just," The older vampire paused, "Good luck with all your… stuff." He said awkwardly before throwing Mick a confused look as if to say, _'where did that come from?'_ Mick just smirked, a soft glow in his eyes.

"Thanks." Beth said in astonishment.

"And, Mick?" The younger vampire showed his attention by raising a single eyebrow, "It's all about what you want." Mick's expression immediately hardened.

"Get out of here!" He called somewhat playfully. It was ok, though. Josef knew that Mick didn't mean it in a rude way.

"Gone." And, almost before he'd finished the word, Josef was indeed gone. Mick sighed as he looked at Beth, who offered him a weak smile.

"What happened?" He asked as mildly as he could. She sighed and looked down at her coffee.

"After you disappeared," she emphasized the word, making Mick chuckle, "Josh and I got into it pretty heavy. He said some things… some of it was true, and some of it was _way_ off base." Mick was tempted to ask what the attorney had said, but he knew that it wasn't his place, so he let her continue, "And… we both said some hurtful things, things we'll both regret in the morning." There was a thoughtful silence.

"So… are you two still together?" Mick asked slowly. He did his best to keep any trace of emotion from his voice and face.

"I- I really don't know." She said shakily. Mick felt torn, even as he nodded; he was in pain for her pain, but a part of him rejoiced that she and Josh might be no more.

"So what now, Beth?" He asked her quietly as he sat in the chair closest to the couch. Beth stood and moved to stand in front of Mick; he took the chance to look at her. To _really_ look at her. Her face was beautiful, despite her smeared make-up and slightly swollen eyes. Her hair was soft looking, and seemed to glow in the low light of his apartment. Her scent; it permeated everything- consuming him more than anything ever had. She was riveting; more riveting than anything he had ever dreamt. Then, Mick learned that a kiss from Beth obliterated all the other things he'd ever noticed about her. It warranted its own definition of 'riveting'. As she pulled away, more than a little reluctant, Mick had to remind himself to breathe as the memory of her lips on his, and the feel of her hands caressing his face had him mesmerized.

"That was a long time coming." She told him in a whisper. He smiled his crooked, heart-wrenching smile.

"It really was." He whispered against her lips before letting them reunite with hers.

Beth's mind was racing. Was this right? What about Josh? Did she even care? As Mick's lips found hers once more, she realized that she really didn't. She let her mind go blank and, unthinkingly, sat on the vampire's lap. One of his hands found a spot on her hip; the other supported the base of her skull. Her hands had found grasps in Mick's dark, wavy hair- that is, until they busied themselves with the task of removing his shirt.

"Beth…" He whispered. She mistook his tone for pleasure and continued to tug at his shirt, "Beth." He said with more force, but it wasn't until his hands gently found her wrists that she stopped. She looked at him, and he could see the hurt in her pale blue eyes. "We can't… we can't go there." Her features turned to ice.

"We can't? Or you don't want to?" The reporter instantly regretted her words. Mick looked away sharply- as if she had slapped him. He took a deep breath before looking at her; his eyes filled with self-loathing.

"We _can't_, Beth." He smirked suddenly, "Believe me, I definitely want to." She laughed lightly at him and the sound sent shivers up his spine.

"But you said sex between vampires and humans was possible…" She nudged.

"I also said it was inadvisable," He groaned as she stood from his lap and he followed suit, "It doesn't end well, Beth…. At least, not for the human."

"So, what?" Beth asked keenly, "Vampires can't keep from killing a human partner?"

"Something like that…" He hedged.

"Could you be anymore vague?" Mick sighed at her persistence.

"Sex makes vampires 'change', if you will." Mick explained, "Face goes pale, eyes go white, fangs extend."

"So, sex makes you vamp-out." She summarized.

"Right." He agreed simply, although Beth was certain she could hear amusement in his tone.

"Is there anything else that makes you…" Beth searched for the right term, "vampy?" Mick chuckled.

"Sure… The four F's: Fight, Flight, Feed, and… well, you know." Beth couldn't keep from laughing, and the sound made Mick smile.

"So… vampires just lose control during sex?"

"It's not just that, although it is a very real possibility." Mick paused to come up with an appropriate way to explain it, "Vampires have a sort of biting fetish, I guess." Beth laughed again, "I really don't think this conversation was meant to be so funny!" He told her, but even he was chuckling so his reprimand was useless.

"Oh." She attempted to compose herself, "I'm sorry. Please continue." Mick cleared his throat before sending a crooked smile in her direction.

"Anyway- we can't help it. We get caught up and then we bite. It's almost an emotional trigger, it's not exclusive to sex. But, in this context, it's how mortals get the bad end of the deal." She looked at him curiously, so he explained it a little further, "We get so into the moment that, when we bite, we're not able to stop…" His tone had sobered considerably, "I'd kill you, Beth." They were both quiet for a while, letting that reality sink in.

"I don't think that you would." She said as she snuggled herself into the sofa.

"Beth." Mick said in frustration.

"Don't you even want to try?!"

"No!" Mick exclaimed, "We can't take that chance." Beth looked at him sharply, fire in her eyes.

"You mean you _won't_ take that chance!" She said acidly. Mick groaned.

"You're right…" He conceded just before meeting her gaze, "I won't."

_Thank God_, Beth groaned internally when her phone rang. She wasn't sure if she could handle much more tension. But, the tension only spiked when she saw that it was Josh calling.

"Hello?" She said coldly, which was enough to let Mick know who was on the other end. Unfortunately, he didn't require speaker phone, what with heightened senses and all.

"Where are you?" Josh asked, his tone much calmer in comparison to Beth's.

"Why do you want to know, Josh?" Mick winced. _Note to self_, he thought, _try not to piss Beth off_.

"Because I am at your apartment and you're not here."

"I'm at a friend's house." She told the attorney archly. Mick eyed her carefully. _Friend_? He thought with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you're not at Marissa's. I already called there…" Josh's tone made it evident that he already knew where she was. The man was an attorney; he was far from stupid.

"What do you want me to say, Josh?" It wasn't lost on Beth that Mick had once said this very thing to her.

"I want you to tell me that you didn't go running to Mick… and I want it to be the truth." Beth froze, in a single moment realizing what was happening. She stared at the vampire whose apartment she had indeed ran to. He stared back, not sure if that's what he should be doing or not. "Beth?" Mick heard Josh ask, and he could hear the near despair in the lawyer's voice.

"I can't do that, Josh." She told him with a quavering voice, "But you need to know- we never did anything. I was never unfaithful to you!"

"Yes, you were, Beth." The lawyer spat, "Maybe not physically, but mentally you were. He was up there in your head everyday… on our anniversary for Christ's sake!"

"I'm so sorry, Josh…" Beth said in a small voice. Mick could hear the thickness of suppressed tears in her voice.

"Yeah… Me too."

Mick wasn't sure what to do. She was standing in the middle of his entry way trying her hardest not to break down and sob, and all Mick could think to do was watch. With shaking hands, Beth hung up the cell phone and put it back in her pocket. Mick stayed put behind the stainless steel island in his kitchen, but he had to do, had to _say_, something.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Beth." He said in a low voice. She let out a sound, but Mick wasn't sure if it was a sob or a tear filled laugh.

"Thank you… but I'm not sure that_ I'm_ sorry." She said slowly, "I mean… I might be that way now, but down the road, maybe this happened for a reason."

"Do you believe in fate?" He asked her softly, even though he felt it was somehow irrelevant. She nodded.

"When it's convenient anyway." She laughed. Mick smiled at her sympathetically. There was a long silence that Mick was desperately trying to fill, but every idea he came up with was somehow inadequate. Beth was the one who broke the quiet.

"Mick?" She asked timidly, he answered her by lifting his dark gaze to meet her blue eyes, "Can-can I stay here tonight...?" The P.I. didn't know how to respond. His heart had immediately screamed, _YES!_ However, his head had instantly refused. Beth took his extended silence to mean she needed to plead, "I just… I don't want to go home…" Before his head could get in the way, Mick's heart commanded him to speak.

"Yeah," he murmured, "Yeah, you can stay here."

"Thanks." She told him almost awkwardly. Another silence ensued, this one much more awkward than the last.

"Um…" The vampire started, "it'd probably be best if you used the couch… is that all right?"

"Sure," She smiled, although it tore Mick's heart more than it warmed it, "I love this couch more than my own- it's comfy."

"Good, I'm glad." He smiled genuinely, "Now… blankets." He said more to himself than to Beth.

"Where do you sleep?" She asked curiously.

"In a freezer in the back room." Beth laughed until she realized he wasn't joking.

"Oh… um, why?" She recovered.

"Even though vampires will never grow old, our bodies can still decay to an extent." He explained, almost mechanically, as he sifted through closets and cupboards for a blanket, "The cold of the freezer slows down the decaying process. It's not necessary, per se, but it's a nice luxury… plus, it feels good." He added with a smirk. He turned back toward the living room with a couple of blankets in hand. He stuttered to a halt before the couch. He wanted to make the couch up for her, but that might have seemed weird, so he decided to set them on the cushions instead.

"Thanks." She told him again, although he shook it off easily.

"There's not a whole lot here that is human friendly," he admitted, "But, there are some apples on the counter, and of course- the coffee machine."

"Don't worry about it, really." She told him. She reached an arm out to touch his, because he had been fidgeting with one of the blankets. It was somewhat cute to her, how nervous she could make him. He looked up at her touch. Their eyes held, and Mick could feel the emotion he had felt when their lips had touched. He could feel it all over again, and it nearly overpowered him. He cleared his throat and looked back at the couch.

"I'm… I'm going to let you get settled in." He said, clearing his throat again when he finished.

"Ok." She said softly, "Goodnight, Mick." She told him as he walked away. He stopped and turned just enough to look at her.

"Goodnight, Beth."

_It really was_, he thought as he lowered himself into his freezer, _It really was_.

Mick jerked awake as another round of pounding found his freezer door. The previously sleeping vampire threw an ugly look at his best friend who was now opening the freezer door mercilessly.

"What?" Mick demanded rather rudely. Josef just looked at him, as if expecting his sleep deprived friend to read his mind. Mick noticed the slight amount of daylight peaking through the patterned windows, "What time is it?"

"Too early." Josef said tersely.

"Then why are you here?"

"Well, I did originally have something to tell you," Josef said caustically, "But I have since been distracted by the presence of a particular reporter asleep on your couch."

"That's my business Josef, not yours." Mick reminded his long time friend. Josef nodded.

"You're getting too 'buddy buddy' with her Mick." Josef admonished, "You're either going to hurt her or end up hurting yourself."

"I've got it under control." Mick said through clenched teeth as he climbed out of his very chilly 'bed'.

"Mmm-hmm." Josef hummed, "For now."

"Wasn't there something you needed to tell me?" The P.I. reminded his excitable friend.

"Yes," Josef mused, "Involving those quote unquote mysterious deaths these past few weeks." Josef turned his back to his friend as Mick pulled on a shirt and a pair of jeans.

"What about 'em?" Mick asked, "You can turn around now, Josef." Mick told his friend as if he were a child. Josef shot him an irritated glare.

"There _is_ a vamp involved."

"What?" Mick exclaimed, "No. I've been to half of the houses- no smell of vampire anywhere. Those people weren't killed by vampires, Josef."

"I never said they were…" Josef said with affected patience, "I just said that a vampire was _involved_." The older vampire paused as he smiled wickedly.

"Get on with it!" Mick told Josef in agitation.

"We think that a vampire is coordinating these deaths."

"_We_?" Mick asked sourly.

"Ryder and I." Josef said as if it were obvious.

"Maestro of all things telephonic?"

"Yes." Josef said simply.

"Ok…?" Mick was confused by Josef's continued acquaintance with Ryder, but he let it slide, "_Why_ do you think a vampire is plotting it out?"

"It's too clean. No human could pull it off."

"You're cocky, you know that?" Mick told his friend as he made his way downstairs.

"Are you going to handle it?" Josef asked loudly.

"Shh!" Mick put his finger to his lips and then pointed at Beth. Josef rolled his eyes, but continued in a whisper.

"Well, are you?"

"Why would I?" Mick asked with confusion, "Even_ if_ a vamp is coordinating the deaths, it's all covered up. The deaths are explained- the only one reporting them as anything else is Beth." Josef stared at his friend.

"Ok. Where's Mick?"

"What?"

"You've never just _let _someone kill anyone before." Josef said bluntly, "You want to save the world, you solve every case- it's what you do."

"Well, I have to admit, Josef, I get a little tired of investigating every little scrap of paranoia you shoot my way."

"You might not appreciate my so called paranoia _now_…" Josef paused on his way to the door, "But, when you're given the chance to turn 400 because my paranoia kept your ass a secret… _then_ you'll understand." And with that, Josef left the apartment.

Mick stood in his spot, leaning against the back of his couch.

"You know you're going to look into it." Beth told him sleepily from her spot on the leather sofa. Mick turned to look at her. She was curled into a tight ball, her face nestled into the back of the couch. Suddenly, Mick wanted more than anything to be the back of that couch at that moment. He shook his head to clear it, and then he sighed.

"I know…" He chuckled a little, "But, sometimes it's fun to mess with him."

Beth stretched languidly on the leather couch; yawning and groaning as she did. Mick did his best not to react when he saw a flash of pale flesh as she moved. "Did you sleep well?" He asked after clearing his throat. "Yeah, actually." She paused as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "You?" "Not bad." He lied as he went to make a pot of coffee. The truth was, he hadn't been able to sleep at all, not when she was nestled so softly into the back of his couch. "I have a question..." Beth called as she stood from her spot in the living room. "Ok..." Mick trailed off carefully, he wasn't sure if he was ready for a round of Beth's questioning- it was too early. He watched her surreptitiously as she padded softly into the kitchen. Her clothes were wrinkled, her hair bushy and disheveled; yet, she completely mesmerized him. "Do you dream?" The blatant curiosity on her face brought a smile to his. "Sometimes." He told her with a quiet chuckle. "You are so verbose." She said sarcastically, making Mick laugh. "Well, it's not that different from dreaming as a human..." He thought for a second, "It's just more... vivid." "Really?" She asked, sounding enthralled. "Really." "How so?" She asked, but the question suddenly became less important as Mick tensed. "Another time." He told her firmly. "Why?" She whispered, worry etched into her features. "Because I don't think Josh will care how vamp dreams differ from human ones."

"Josh is here?" Beth asked with round eyes. Before Mick could answer, however, there was a knock on his door.

"Do you want me to answer it?" Mick asked after a moment. Beth didn't answer until they heard another, more persistent knock. Even then, she only nodded.

The vampire had to remind himself that, although not for an immortal, a year was a long to time to spend with one person. Mick took in a deep, steadying breath before opening the door. What stood on the other side of the threshold was not what the P.I. had expected. Mick had only ever seen Josh in his suit and tie, ready for whatever the law or lack thereof could throw at him. Today, Josh was someone else entirely. In place of the business suit was a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. There were dark circles under his eyes that told Mick that the Deputy DA had slept as well as he had; if for completely different reasons.

"I need to talk to Beth." Josh said firmly. Mick looked over his shoulder as if to ask if she were willing to talk. Beth nodded in reply to his silent inquiry, then watched warily as Mick moved aside, allowing the attorney into the apartment.

"Beth…" Josh started, but he paused to throw Mick a look that blatantly said, 'Could you give us some privacy?' The vampire raised an eyebrow, effectively informing the lawyer that this was_ his_ apartment and that he would listen in on any conversation he wanted to. Then he saw the look on Beth's face. She _wanted_ to have this talk, and she wanted to have it with Josh._Just_ Josh.

"I'll go check on the coffee." Mick said, excusing himself. It wasn't like he couldn't hear them from anywhere in his apartment anyway.

By the time Mick brought Beth (and only Beth) a cup of coffee, the pair had talked through a lot. They'd both apologized for things that had been said, and Josh even went so far as to take back his comments on the phone from the night before.

"Thank you." Beth smiled up at Mick when the coffee found her hands. Josh and Mick shared a look, but the attorney did not dare ask for a cup as well.

Mick was upstairs sorting through his record collection, trying not to focus on the conversation taking place in his living room, when he heard Josh ask the question that sealed his fate.

"Did you sleep with him?"

A part of the vampire wished that Beth could honestly say 'yes', but Mick knew that it was a small part that he had to suppress.

"God, Josh!" Beth exclaimed venomously.

"Well, did you?" The attorney continued to push.

"No!" She nearly shouted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mick asked the empty upper level of his apartment.

"Well, what would _you_ think, Beth?" Josh demanded in a raised voice that instantly spiked Mick's temper, "We get into a fight because of the guy, and then you go to his house and spend the night?" Mick actually snarled in response to Josh's angry tone. "Ever since you've met this guy, you've been all over him."

"I have not!" Beth said with indignation.

"Beth!" Josh said sharply, "I've spent a year loving and trusting you… the least you could do is be honest with me." The reporter looked away from the attorney in an attempt to hide the emotion pounding through her.

"You know what, Josh?" She asked acidly, "Don't waste another minute of your_ precious_ time."

"Beth…"

"Get out." She whispered, but somehow Mick could still hear it- feel it. The vampire was surprised that Josh only had to be told once. However, not as surprised as he was when a tearful Beth accosted him.

He was in his "bedroom". Or, at least, the room with the bed in it. He never slept there, but the freezer room had to be pretty well concealed- just in case. Anyway, a bedroom added nicely to the human façade. It was in this room, full to bursting with old jazz records, that Beth found him and locked her lips unceremoniously to his.

His mind went blank. So blank, in fact, that he didn't register anything besides the feel of her lips on his. At least, not until his somehow _bare_ back found the comforter of his unused king bed.

"Beth." He tried to say forcefully, but it came out more as a moan. He tried to stop her again, but his train of thought evaporated as her hands trailed down his chest. It wasn't until he felt his belt buckle unfasten that his brain kicked back on.

"Beth, no." He said firmly as he rolled out from underneath her. He sat at the edge of the bed, his back to her, as he told her, "We can't."

"I know, I know…" She whispered as she pressed against his back, letting her left hand trace a pattern across his flawless chest. "But, I really think that we can-" She turned his face to look at hers, "You won't hurt me." The vampire looked away and sighed.

"That's not even what I meant." He told her as he stood. He had to get away from her touch or else he'd never finish a thought. "I meant that you're just pissed off at Josh. If we do this _now_, we'd both regret it…" He paused, letting her soak in what he had said, "I don't want to give myself another reason to regret being with you." The vampire whispered heartbreakingly.

"Excuse me?" Beth asked sharply as Mick groaned at the dual meaning of his words.

"That's not what I meant, Beth…"

"You really need to get over this whole _'I'm a monster, woe is me'_ kick you're on, and let someone in for a change!" She told him sharply before letting herself out of his apartment.

Mick heaved another sigh. With his pants undone, his shirt on the floor, and his face in his hands, Mick St. John was an uncharacteristically sad sight.

"How may I be of assistance?" Josef asked mischievously as he let Mick into his home.

"I got the names of all those people who've died so 'mysteriously,'" The P.I. said matter-of-factly, "I need Ryder to look up some info on them."

"Ah-ha…" Josef led his friend back through the house, although it wasn't necessary, "By the way," he started, "you look like crap. I hope all is well on the human front." Mick threw his friend a dark look.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ouch…" Josef said with a smile; a smile he quickly disguised as a grimace as Mick turned to look at him, "that bad, huh?"

"Didn't I just say that I don't want to talk about it?" Mick asked testily.

"Since when do I listen?" Josef returned lively.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should start." Mick suggested as the duo stepped through the door and into the realm of Ryder. The hum of the numerous computers filled the room, making the air feel thick. Ryder didn't even look up as the two vampires came toward him, he was completely absorbed by the screen in front of him. Josef and Mick stood just behind each of the computer whiz's shoulders to examine the screen. The P.I. chuckled and Josef's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Are you familiar with World of Warcraft, Mick?" Ryder asked without averting his eyes from the screen.

"A little…" Mick trailed off.

"World of Warcraft...? What the hell is that?" Josef asked sharply; he hated being left out of the loop.

"It's an online role playing game." Ryder said succinctly- still ardently focused on the game. Josef's attitude visibly lightened.

"Role playing like cops and robbers, or role playing like sexy nurse and bed-ridden patient?" The oldest vamp inquired with a wicked grin.

"Role playing like elves and wizards." Mick told his friend admonishingly.

"Oh." Josef said with obvious disappointment, "Well, _that's_ boring…"

"To some." Mick conceded, "to others it's life absorbing."

"Hm." Josef hummed thoughtfully, "How much of your life did it absorb, Mick?" The youngest vampire laughed.

"A few months when it first came out. I haven't played in a while though," Mick paused to look his friend in the eye, "Reality got in the way."

"Also known as Beth Turner." Josef said smoothly without breaking eye contact.

"Is Beth coming?" Ryder asked, his interest piqued enough to tear his eyes from the RPG. Mick looked at the vampire very carefully.

"No." He said firmly, "She's not."

"Too bad…" Ryder said wistfully as he turned back to his game, "she really did have a nice voice." Mick and Josef looked at one another with befuddled expressions. Josef just shrugged.

"Can we focus here, please?" Mick said icily. The two vampires looked at the P.I. warily, "I've got some names here that I need you to look up."

"Look up how?" Ryder asked with interest, "Like credit scores, billing information, the typical paper trail?"

"No…" He paused, "I mean, it might be useful, but I need anything you can find; vacation spots, where they've been, what they do for fun, where they work, who they work with… you know- in depth."

"The good kind of search."

"Sure…" Mick said as he plopped the file onto the desk and skulked from the room.

"Next time, leave the teasing to me, ok?" Josef told Ryder lightly. The maestro of all things telephonic didn't reply; he was already absorbed into one of the screens, "Happy hunting!" Josef called as he left the room- the dual meaning of his words bringing a smirk to his lips.

When he made his way into the living room, Josef found his friend nursing a glass of blood-tinted scotch; the hard stuff.

"Do you think I'm on a 'woe is me' kick?" The younger vampire asked his friend quietly between sips. Josef couldn't help but chuckle as he sat beside his friend.

"Did Beth tell you that?" Josef paused to allow his friend to answer, but only silence met his ears, "I've been telling you to stop be so self-sacrificing for years!"

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are, Mick." Josef said firmly, "You're punishing yourself for _existing_… and it's painful to watch." Mick looked at his friend in surprise; Mick wasn't used to such a confession from Josef. "And Beth, without a doubt, man… if you want her- she's there. But you keep pushing her away because you're some kind of 'monster'." There was a long pause.

"You're right…" Mick said, his voice thick.

"I know." Josef said softly, although Mick was certain he heard a touch of that old Josef arrogance.

"You've been right all along."

"I know." The older vampire couldn't suppress his smug smile.

"I really messed up, Josef…" Mick sighed as he sat back.

"I figured when you showed up with your panties in a twist," Mick glared at him, "Sorry." He amended half-heartedly. He watched as Mick's eyes focused on something far away; lost in thought.

"What if I hurt her?" The P.I. asked after a moment. Josef sighed, thinking of how best to answer his friend's question. He opted for honesty.

"That's a real possibility, Mick… I'm not gonna lie," Mick's eyes plead with his friend. Begged the older vampire to take it back- to say that he would never, could never, hurt her. "But, if she's willing to take the risk, why deny yourself?" Mick cleared his throat as he stood up.

"Let me know what Ryder finds out." The P.I. told his friend as they walked to the front door. Josef nodded his assurance as he opened the door.

"And, Mick?" Josef called as his friend walked away from the house, "Think about it." Mick looked at his friend carefully before nodding as he turned away. Josef stood in the open doorway for a moment before he smiled devilishly and retreated into his fortress.

The smile may have been devilish, but it was the soft emotion that lit the vampire's eyes that showed how he really felt about his friend.

Beth was cleaning out her apartment when she heard the knock at her door. She groaned in irritation and pushed the fly-away hairs back from her flushed face. Leaving the slide lock in place, the blonde opened the door just enough to peek at her visitor. It was Mick.

Before the vampire could say anything, the reporter gasped and slammed the door shut.

"Hi." Mick told the door. He could hear Beth moving around inside her home, "Beth?" He called through the door.

"Just a minute!" She shouted back. She hurriedly put her hair up and threw on a different shirt- she failed to notice, however, that it was inside out. She opened the door with a huff, "Hi."

"Hi." He returned with a laugh and a raised eyebrow, "Did I come at a bad time?"

"No!" She assured him, "I'm just sorting through some things…" She trailed off.

"Do you need any help?" He asked softly after a moment.

"Would that be weird?" She asked quietly, "You helping me go through Josh's stuff?"

"Well," Mick paused, "Some of it's your stuff too…" He offered. Beth considered it for a couple of seconds before nodding.

"By the way…" She started as she put a few books into a cardboard box, "Apology accepted."

"What apology?" Mick asked in confusion.

"Well, we weren't on the best terms when I left your place- you could've left it at that…" Beth paused to tape the box closed. When she finished she turned to him, "But you're here."

"Yeah." Mick said after a moment, "I'm here."

About an hour later Mick decided to tackle the veritable mountain of CDs.

"Ugh!" He groaned at the collection, "Please tell me that most of these belong to Josh!"

"What?" She asked with a laugh. Mick held up one of the offending CDs for her to appraise.

"Ricky Martin?"

"I went through a phase…" She said as her cheeks went red.

"A phase… Sure." He said with a secret smile as he replaced the CD on the shelf.

And so the evening went, with Mick asking about various CDs as Beth sorted through the kitchen. After Mick had finished sorting the numerous discs, and even tapes, he moved into the kitchen, where the "Josh" pile was much larger than the "Beth" one. The vampire looked at her curiously.

"Josh did the cooking…" She said sheepishly.

"It's not like it matters to me." He told her with a shrug. She laughed appreciatively as Mick's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Mick answered.

"Where are you?!" Josef demanded angrily.

"I'm at Beth's…" Mick said defensively, "Why? What's wrong?"

"Ryder found out who was behind this…" Josef swore under his breath, "It was staring us in the face, Mick!"

"Who, Josef?" Mick demanded.

"Not here…" There was a slight pause, a moment of indecision, "I'm coming to Beth's."

"What?"

"I'll be there in two minutes, tops." And with that, Josef hung up.

Mick looked at his phone in a mixture of annoyance and concern.

"Is everything all right?" Beth asked from behind the sink. Mick sighed.

"I hope it's ok if Josef comes over, because he's already on his way."

"What's going on?" She asked, her voice full of worry.

"I'm not sure," He told her honestly, "But we're about to find out." He finished grimly.

A harsh knocking announced the arrival of Josef Konstantin. As soon as Mick opened the door, Josef burst through into the humble apartment.

"She's doing this, Mick! It's her!" Josef exploded.

"Josef, calm down!" Mick admonished, "Who?"

"Lola!" Josef spat as he whirled on his friend, "It's Lola, Mick!"

"That's not possible," Beth interrupted courageously, "Mick killed her, Josef."

"Well, forgive me, but Mick's success rate in burning vampires isn't exactly exemplary." The oldest vampire's voice dripped acid.

"What?" Beth asked in confusion.

"Nothing." Mick told the reporter in a sharper tone than he'd intended.

"It's her, Mick." Josef's tone was still firm, but not as vicious, "It's her."

Josef wasted no time in getting Mick, who was accompanied by Beth, to his home to talk to Ryder. The computer room was alive and thrumming with electricity.

"Talk to me, Ryder." Mick said as soon as he was through the door, but a certain blonde caught the computer whiz's attention.

"Hey, Beth." Ryder greeted in his own creepy way.

"Hi, Ryder…." Beth stilted as she shot a wary glance at Mick. The P.I. shook his head as if to say, "don't ask."

"All right," Mick started, "What did you find?" Josef scoffed and left the room, but the P.I. refused to avert his eyes from the screen.

"First up," Ryder said as he sifted through the various files, "Barbara Miller. She was a secretary for _Allied Metals_…"

"What?" Mick asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Ryder said with a wicked grin, "She'd worked there for almost five years. _And_," He paused for effect, "She's the one who took Lola's order of silver."

"You think she was in on it?"

"She's dead." Josef said icily, making his presence known, "What do you think?" Beth watched, captivated, as Josef swilled the blood in his wine glass.

"Ok, one link to Lola." Mick conceded. Josef smiled smugly before taking a sip from his glass. "What else have you got?" Mick asked, and Ryder cleared his throat.

"Steven Watermann." The 'maestro' said as he handed Mick the appropriate file, "Was a bouncer at several clubs over his lifetime- most recently at Club Valis." Mick sighed and shot a glance at Beth.

"Are all the connections this blatant?" Beth asked the room. Ryder inhaled sharply as she moved closer.

"Yes." Josef said, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"What about the couple?" Beth asked Ryder, although her focus was transfixed on the oldest vampire in the room.

"Margaret and Jerry Wilson." Ryder supplied dutifully, "They frequented the club scene…" He paused again, "They were VIPs at Club Valis."

"This is bad." Beth said sharply.

"You think?" Josef snapped, "Lola's the oldest vamp I've ever met and that makes her powerful. More powerful than-"

"That's not what I meant." Beth interrupted, "I meant, the morgue is covering up these murders- passing them off as natural deaths… that mean she has someone_ in_ the morgue."

"Then, where else does she have eyes and ears?" Mick asked as Josef downed the last of his drink.

"I don' t know." Josef said darkly, "And I _really hate_ not knowing things."

After a few moments, in which Josef had Ryder start a lengthy investigation into the lives of his employees, Beth asked the inevitable question.

"So… What now?"

"We follow the trail." Mick told her as he exited the room.

"And I consider hiring a new security detail." Josef added mirthlessly.

Beth tried, and failed, to stifle a giggle.

"You think he's kidding," Mick told her with a crooked smile, "he's not, trust me."

"Why?" The reporter asked, "Do you honestly think Lola is a threat to you?" Josef glanced at her with a quirked eyebrow.

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but, if I felt threatened by _you_," The vampire emphasized the word, "Then you had better believe I feel threatened by Lola. She's at least 100 years older than me and she's armed with a metric ton of silver, also known as vamp poison. "Josef composed himself by straightening his tie and lapels, "So, forgive me if I feel a bit paranoid."

"So, what's the first step in following Lola's trail?" The blonde asked eagerly.

"No, Beth." Mick said sharply, "No."

"What?" She asked defensively, "You're the one who brought me here!"

"What?!" Mick exclaimed, "I told you to stay home, but you hopped in my car at the last minute!"

"What's your point?" She asked archly.

"My _point_-"

"Will you two, _please_, shut up?!" Josef interrupted sharply, "Jesus, you're worse than my parents were!"

"I'm coming with you." Beth said after a short pause.

"Fine," The P.I. ground out as he made his way to the foyer. He turned to her as he opened the door, "but you're waiting in the car." Josef fought a smile as he watched a very frustrated Beth Turner march from his home.

"I thought they'd never leave…" A silky voice broke through the silence. Josef didn't even flinch.

"I'm trying to figure out how Mick didn't realize you were here,_ Lola_." Josef replied smoothly as he turned to face her. She laughed, a sound like bells, and Josef had to remind himself to keep his guard up.

"He was too busy arguing with his little _human_ friend to pay any attention to me." She paused and circled the younger vampire, "What I want to know is why you didn't tell Mr. _St. John_ that I was here." She stopped circling and smiled coyly at him, "It's not because you're trying to be brave… that's not your style." Her smile widened, "You've never been one to _pretend_ to be something you're _not_." Josef looked at her with cold eyes.

"What do you want?" He asked frostily.

"Your little donation…?" She started as she continued circling "Has finally run out."

"And what?" Josef laughed incredulously, "You expect more?"

"That's_ exactly_ what I expect." Lola purred dangerously.

Beth was still seething and stomping over Mick's comment about waiting in the car. It wasn't until she was buckled in and the car began to move that she realized that the vampire was uncharacteristically solemn.

"What's wrong?" She asked warily. Mick considered her before responding.

"I needed to get you out of there…" He said softly, looking back at the road.

"What? Why?" She demanded. He refused to look at her.

"Lola was there…"

"_Lola was there__"_ Beth exploded, "And you left Josef there with her?!"

Mick looked at the reporter sharply, "Josef's a big boy- he can take care of himself."

"Why didn't you stay and confront her?" Beth demanded. Mick just stared at her for a moment.

"I didn't want you to get hurt…" He murmured finally.

"Oh." She said after a moment. There was a long, awkward pause. "I'm sorry." She told him finally.

"Don't worry about it." He said with a small smile.

"So… what now?" She asked again. Mick sighed, knowing an argument was headed his way.

"I take you home and then I pay Josef another visit." He told her firmly.

"What?" She exclaimed and Mick rolled his eyes, "Why do I have to go home?"

"Because, I can't fight Lola and keep you safe at the same time." He told her simply.

"Why do you think you're going to have to fight her?" Beth asked, the fear obvious in her voice.

"Look, she went to Josef's for a reason…" He paused in thought, "I have to get back." He said sharply as he pulled up to Beth's apartment.

"What?" Beth asked before she opened the door, "Mick, what's going on?"

"Lola is at Josef's for a reason, and if I know Josef, he's not going to be very receptive to her. It won't be pretty…"

"Josef's 400 years old," Beth reasoned, "He's strong."

"He might be strong, but he's never had to hone his skills- he's a terrible fighter." Mick shoved the passenger side door open. "I'm sorry," He told her as she made to exit the car, "But, I have to go!"

"I understand…" She told him softly, "Be careful." Then she kissed him tenderly. Mick only nodded. Beth stepped out of the Mercedes and, almost before she'd even shut the door, Mick pulled out of the parking lot.

"Too bad." Josef said, keeping his air of superiority intact. What was happening _inside_ of him was total chaos, but he knew that he couldn't afford to let Lola see that. The vampiress smiled at him wickedly.

"C'mon Josef," His skin crawled in delight as she said his name, "Don't you want to help?" Her voice was like a drug, and Josef could feel himself starting to fall off the wagon.

"I'd love to help, Lola." He said silkily, "But I won't help you kill our own kind."

"They're a means to an end, Josef!" She spat, "Just like every human we've ever fed upon!" He looked at her with calculating eyes.

"But you'll notice that I am no longer in the habit of offing humans either…" He told her firmly. He scowled as she scoffed.

"Ever since you started hanging around _Mick St John_," The name sounded diseased coming from her mouth, "you've been tripping over morals- _human_ morals!" Josef actually growled in response.

"They're _my_ morals Lola- make no mistake!" He told her angrily, "And, I didn't hang around Mick- he hung around me…" He added lamely.

"It doesn't matter, not really." She said, returning to the seductress façade. She stepped closer to him, and it took all of Josef's will to keep himself from moving closer to her. "You see, if you won't help me, then you're only going to get in the way…"

"Eliminate the threat, right?" He said venomously.

"I _did_ teach you well." She grinned evilly as her eyes went pale and her fangs extended. Josef snarled fiercely, his features morphing as well.

When Lola leapt for him, Josef moved aside and got clear of her reach. Since her intended target had left her in thin air, Lola was forced to recover. She rolled, keeping clear of major furniture, but she still managed to break one of Josef's expensive monitors. He roared as it fell from its place on the wall. Lola cackled.

"Ooops." She said innocently. And then she was face down on the floor. Josef refocused to find Mick standing over her with one of _Josef's_ antique pewter goblets in hand.

"Jesus," Josef said after composing himself. His eyes returned to their warm brown color, "It wasn't a bar fight, Mick." Mick laughed.

"Not yet." The P.I. said sourly. The friends then shared mischievous smiles that hinted at wilder times. "Do you have any duct tape?" Mick asked suddenly.

"Duct tape?" Josef looked at the inert Lola, "Maybe… somewhere…" Josef said vaguely. "I have handcuffs," He offered suddenly, "Will that work?" Mick stared at his friend.

"Do I even want to know _why_ you have handcuffs?" Josef grinned devilishly.

"I don't know, do you?"

"No. I don't." Mick decided, "But… gets them. We need to restrain her." Josef was gone and back before Mick could blink; a perk of being an older vamp.

"You know they won't hold her, right?" Josef asked curiously. Mick looked at him indignantly.

"_I know that!_ But, it's one more thing she has to get through before she can get to us."

"One _more_ thing?" Josef asked as he passed Mick the handcuffs. When Mick saw the cuffs, he couldn't help but grin; they were black and fuzzy.

"Just help me carry her."

"Mick!" Josef whined, "No… No, I have belongings in here!" Josef motioned to his freezer door. In doing so, he dropped Lola's legs.

"Well, if I know you, the place where you sleep will be the most protected. Mick reasoned.

"Naturally…" Josef agreed, "But that doesn't mean that I want to hold her_ hostage_ in _my freezer!__"_

"Too bad." Mick told his friend simply as he opened the door. Josef groaned as he helped lug the inert vampire into his room.

"Where do we put her?" Josef asked his friend. Mick smiled impishly.

"How about the bed?" The P.I. offered, grinning as if he'd just heard the best joke ever told. Josef stared at his friend, trying to gauge his level of seriousness.

"I hate you." The oldest vampire said to Mick as they hoisted Lola onto the oversized and veritably frozen bed. Mick ignored his dramatic friend.

"Do you have anything to bind her feet?" Josef raised an eyebrow.

"No…" He started, "that would be a bit defeating, considering what I use the handcuffs for…" Josef told his friend as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Mick threw him a disgusted look. "What?!"

"Ew." Mick said with a shake of his head. Josef just shrugged. Both vampires searched for something they could use to tie Lola's ankles together, and soon, Mick made a triumphant noise as he snagged a pair of suspenders from the bedside table.

"No!" Josef said sharply, "Do you have any _idea_ how much those cost?!" Mick took a moment to admire the gold trimmed suspenders, taking a long look at the intricate patterns and inlay.

"I have no idea how much they cost." Mick said, his voice filled with boredom, as he started to tie Lola's ankles, "But I know that, if you're upset about it, they cost a lot." Josef grimaced as Mick tied the suspenders in a knot. "Think of it as a lesson, "Mick offered warmly, "Don't spend so much on _suspenders!_" Josef huffed angrily.

"Have I told you lately that I hate you?" Josef asked darkly.

"You might have mentioned it." Mick said with a smile. The two vamps then stood back to admire their (Mick's) handy work.

"Now what?" Josef asked after a moment.

"We wait for her to wake up."

Beth checked her phone for what felt like the zillionth time that night. Nothing; no texts, no calls- Nothing. Mick had left for Josef's over two hours ago.

"What happened?" She asked the empty room. Beth turned off the TV she was ignoring and paced around her couch. Then she snatched her keys from the entryway table, took her coat from its rack, and marched out of her apartment.

Fifteen agonizing minutes later Beth parked outside Josef's lavish home and cut the engine. Everything looked normal to her; but what was "normal" for a 400-year-old vampire at three in the morning?

Beth stepped out of her car and closed the door as quietly as she could. Then she took a deep breath.

"Here goes…" She said in an attempt at steeling herself. Then the reporter made her way, cautiously, to the front door. She paused, wondering if it would be stupid to just knock. Her hand hovered just inches from the solid wood door. She'd made up her mind- she was resolved to knock- stupid or not. But, just as she was expecting her knuckles to rap on wood, the door jerked open.

"Buzz Wire." Josef started, seeming surprised to see her.

"Where's Mick? Is everything all right?" Beth demanded as she pushed her way into the house. Josef looked at her in wonderment.

"Mick's a bit…" He paused to find the right word, "busy at the moment."

"What does that mean?"

"I really don't like to repeat myself." Mick said dangerously, but Lola just eyed him coolly.

"I'm sorry- what did you say?" She asked innocently. The P.I. snarled in frustration, letting his eyes turn pale and his fangs extend. "What exactly do you hope to gain from all of… this?" Lola gestured as best as she could to her restraints.

"Answers." Mick ground out.

"Answers to _what_?" The vampiress asked seductively, keeping her voice low and throaty.

"To why you're killing your own kind!" He yelled, "Why you're having humans _murdered_! And finally, why you came back." Lola laughed again.

"I should think that the answer to the last one is obvious…" She cackled, "Josef is the backer of my entire _"operation"._ She whispered venomously.

"You're lying." Mick growled.

"That may be," She conceded with a shrug, "But the money I used to make the drugs- it _was_ Josef's." She paused for effect, "I didn't even have to jump through hoops to get it; he just _gave_ it to me." Mick growled at what Lola was implying, "You've known him for how long?" Mick had to look away from her intense stare, "Have you ever known him to be so generous?" Mick kept quiet. "Neither have I…"

"He's in there with her, _alone_?!" Beth asked shrilly. Josef actually grimaced.

"He said it was all right." The vampire offered with a shrug. Beth considered the situation for a moment.

"What are they saying?" She asked finally.

"I don't know," He said with a shake of his head, "That room is soundproof."

"Soundproof?" Beth asked curiously, "Why is it soundproof?" She couldn't be sure, but it looked as if Josef was blushing.

"Gee, I don't know Buzz Wire… why would _you_ soundproof _your_ bedroom?" Beth was about to ask if it was even possible for vampires to blush when a loud crash rang through the house.

"I thought you said it was soundproof!" She yelled fearfully. Josef's eyes were intent on the dark hallway as he replied.

"It is."

Mick's delicate ears rang even as he grappled with the vampiress. What had happened was this:Lola had continued to tell of how Josef was involved in the entire deal. That Mick's best friend and paid and intended to continue paying for Lola's drug manufacturing. However, that hadn't been what I had caused Mick to explode. It was Lola's threat against Beth that had set him off.

"We'll see how attracted you are to your little human friend when her throat is missing." That had been the catalyst. As Mick lunged for the vampiress, Lola broke from her restraints without even blinking. Before even two minutes had passed Josef's room was completely destroyed. Then the battling duo smashed through the security doors, falling into the black hallway.

Lola had Mick pinned, his blue eyes wide and filled with hate and edged in panic. The vampiress laughed evilly before putting her fangs to the P.I.'s throat.

"Mick!" Beth screamed. She couldn't see much in the hallway, but she could hear the struggle. The she felt, more that saw, Josef rush past her. "Josef!" She yelled after the vampire.

It took Josef all of two seconds to take in the situation. Lola had Mick pinned beneath her. The smell of blood was in the air- Mick's blood. Lola, Josef's sire, was feeding from his best friend. That was all he needed to know.

Josef wrapped an arm around Lola's unsuspecting throat and embedded his other hand in her long hair. Lola was strong but he managed to pull her mouth away from Mick's throat.

"Get Beth and get the hell out of here!" Josef ordered his friend sharply as he rolled to the left, taking Lola with him. Mick stood quickly, but was hesitant to leave his friend.

"Josef…"

"_GO!__" _The older vamp shouted as his normally warm colored eyes turned to ice. Mick turned away before he witnessed something he'd rather forget later.

Beth couldn't see anything, but she could hear a lot. The sounds of struggle; shrieks, snarls, and growls. Then she heard Josef's voice. She couldn't understand _what_ he said, but she knew that it was him. Then she heard him shout so loudly, so forcefully, that it sounded more like a roar than a shout. Beth could also hear objects being shattered and smashed as bodies were thrown against them. However, she could not see anything. That's why she screamed when a hand found her arm.

"Shh! Beth," Mick soothed, "It's me." Before she had a chance to reply, he was pulling her out of the midnight hallway and toward the front door. They were halfway through the door when Beth turned to him.

"Wait!" She nearly shouted, "What about Josef?"

"He can handle himself-" Mick tried to assure her, but just as he finished they heard Josef scream in pain.

"Mick!" Beth exclaimed as she squeezed her eyes shut, "We can't leave him here!" But the vampire had a firm hold on her arm.

"He told me to get you and get out." Mick said coldly as he dragged her from the house.

"I swear to God, Beth…" Mick warned, "If you don't stat in this car…"

"I will!" She told him in exasperation, "Just, please, go make sure he's all right." The P.I. nodded. He wouldn't leave his friend up there alone for long… if Beth hadn't been there Josef would never have _had _to be alone.

"I'll call you if everything's clear…" He paused a moment and then handed her a business card, "If I don't call you… Call this number."

"Ok…" She whispered, and then he was gone. Beth studied the card carefully, "_The Cleaner_?"

Mick made his way into Josef's house very carefully. He couldn't hear fighting anymore, but he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. As he neared the hallway the smell of blood nearly over powered him. He couldn't tell who had lost the most blood – it had all mixed together- but the silence was deafening.

_"Josef__"_ Mick called, his voice thick with dread. He stayed perfectly still, straining to hear the slightest sound. There! He heard it! A sort of shifting noise. "Josef?" Mick called again as he moved into the hall. There was a groan from somewhere on his left and Mick turned to see his friend. But, Josef Konstantin was hardly recognizable. "Josef!"

Mick cleared the debris from a shattered bookcase away from his friend.

"Oh my God." He whispered. Josef coughed and then groaned in response.

The older vampire was in bad shape. His skin was a pasty white and blood, whether his own or Lola's, trailed from his mouth. His throat was ripped and bleeding, although it was only trickling now.

"She's dead, Mick." Josef rasped, "It's finished." Mick shushed him.

"C'mon." The younger vamp said as he lifted his friend from his spot against the wall. Josef wheezed as Mick laid him on the couch, his blue eyes going wide in pain. "You've lost too much blood, Josef." Mick told his friend as he ransacked the kitchen in search for bottles of the precious fluid.

"I know." Josef whispered.

"The sun will be up in fifteen minutes."

"I know." He whispered again.

"You're not strong enough to-"

"I know, Mick." Then Josef passed out.

Beth was certain that she wouldn't have any fingernails left after tonight. It was ten minutes until sunrise and Mick still hadn't called. The blonde glanced at her phone again.

"Please ring." She begged, "Please?" She looked at the phone imploringly and it suddenly lit up. She was so excited that she almost hung up on him.

"Mick?" She asked in sheer panic.

"It's me." He said with a sigh, "It's over. Lola's dead." Beth exhaled a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

"And Josef?" She asked hopefully. When Mick didn't respond she felt her stomach drop, "Mick?"

"Just come on up, ok?" He told her before hanging up.

When Beth saw Josef, she thought for sure that he was dead. She had started to cry but Mick reminded her that they didn't have time. The vampire poured an entire wine bottle of blood down his friend's throat, but they both knew that it wasn't nearly enough.

"Mick…" Beth started carefully, "This," she gestured to the now empty bottle, "isn't enough." Mick swallowed hard.

"I know."

"Can vampires feed off of one another?" She asked suddenly. Mick looked pointedly at Josef bloodied throat, "Oh."

"Why?"

"Could you feed him to keep him strong enough to last while I get blood from your place?" She asked, but Mick just let his head fall into his hands.

"There isn't any blood at my place… I was going to get more last night." Beth nodded grimly.

"The I guess we've come to plan B."

"What's plan B?" Mick asked worriedly.

"You go get more blood while _I_ feed Josef."

Mick stood frozen. Had she really just said what he thought she'd said? _She_ would feed Josef? Then everything clicked into place.

"No, Beth!" He nearly shouted, "He's too weak, needs too much blood. He won't know when to stop."

"Then_ I'll_ stop him." She said with a shrug.

"You'll be too weak to stop him…" Mick took a deep breath, "He won't be Josef, Beth. He'll be a monster, and a desperate one at that."

Beth looked at her watch, "There's five minutes until sunrise. You need to go and get more blood." Mick started to interrupt but Beth continued over him, "I won't start until you've been gone for ten minutes." Mick looked at her and then at the windows behind her.

"Ok," He nodded, "And make sure you close the blinds on those windows." As Beth turned to look at the uncovered panes of glass, Mick left. She turned when she heard the front door close, and then she looked at her watch.

"Ten minutes." She told herself, and then closed the blinds.

It only took ten minutes for Mick to get to the morgue, but to him, that was ten minutes too many. As he burst into the room, he barely even noticed that it was Terrence instead of Guillermo.

"Mick- What's-"

"I need six pints." Mick said quickly.

"All right…" Terrence replied warily as he made his way to the freezer. Mick handed the young vampire the appropriate bills and took the blood quickly. "Is everything all right?" Terrence called as Mick pushed open the door.

"I hope so." The P.I. said, more to himself than to the vamp behind him, "God, I hope so."

Beth was sitting in the chair across from the couch Josef was laying on. He hadn't moved, but she had watched as he had gradually grown paler. He looked almost translucent. It was the sun, she knew. Even though the vampire was hidden from it, just the sun being up took its toll.

Beth looked down at her watch. 12 minutes had gone by. _Oops_, she thought as she stood from her chair. A million scenarios ran through her head; Josef would attack her as soon as she was within reach. He'd tear at her throat instead of the wrist she would offer. He'd turn her. He'd kill her.

She knelt beside the couch. Nothing happened. She held her right arm out to him. Josef didn't move. She pressed her wrist to his freezing cold lips. Still nothing happened, and Beth grew frantic.

"No. No, no, no!" She rushed as she pressed her wrist to his mouth repeatedly. All without any response from the vampire. Beth looked around for something sharp and quickly found a shard of glass among the living room wreckage. Without hesitating, she drew the glass through her flesh, and quickly felt the warmth of blood spill out onto her skin. She held her wrist out one more time, but Josef still didn't move. Beth started to cry as she put her bloody wrist to the vampire's mouth. Beth shut her eyes against her tears as her blood covered Josef's lips.

Then a sharp pain ripped through her. When Beth finally opened her eyes, she saw Josef clinging to her slashed wrist. His eyes were blue and covered in a sickly film. There was no familiarity or recognition in those eyes, only cold desperation. In the back of her mind Beth knew that he was taking too much blood much too quickly. However, the front of her mind was too busy comparing vampiric experiences to care.

Josef's bite felt nothing like Mick's, and that astounded her. Sure, Mick's bite had hurt, but there had been a sort of pleasure in the pain. Now, there was only pain, an all-consuming pain. However, it was starting to fade leaving her feeling very tired, very suddenly. She let her head droop onto Josef's shoulder. But, just as soon as it had dropped, her head jerked back up. She understood what was happening.

"No." She tried to say, but it came out slurred and unintelligible. She tried to remove her arm from the vampire's grasp, but it was futile. And exhausting. Beth let her head fall onto Josef's shoulder once more. This time it didn't jerk back up.

When Josef came back to his senses, he was very confused. Whose arm was he taking from his mouth? Whose blonde head was resting on his shoulder? It all came together quickly.

"Beth?" He asked sharply. Nothing happened. He listened for her heartbeat. For a moment, he thought he had killed her, but then he heard her heart's faint "thump-thump." But it was _too_ faint. Either she _had_ to be turned or she would die.

When Mick opened Josef's front door the first thing he noticed was the smell of Beth's blood on the air. The next thing he noticed was that he couldn't hear any heartbeats. Mick ran into the living room where the scene had been reversed. Now Josef was pacing as Beth lay on the couch. Josef stopped short and looked at his friend. Mick was surprised to see tears in his best friend's eyes.

"What did you do?" Mick whispered, his voice sounded hollow in his own ears.

"I'm so sorry, Mick…" Josef said thickly.

"What did you do?!" The younger vampire roared.

"I took too much!" Josef yelled back, the guilt obvious in his voice, "She has to be turned or she'll die!" Mick moved to Beth's side, not once looking at his friend. "I would have done it, Mick," Josef explained, "But I-" His voice broke, "I didn't want to turn her into another Sarah…" The oldest vamp finished dejectedly.

Mick was only half listening to Josef. The rest of his attention was on counting Beth's heartbeats. They were too far apart; Josef was right. Mick bit into his own wrist and pressed it to Beth's perfect mouth, but nothing happened.

"C'mon, Beth." He urged, "C'mon!" Josef stood in the background, watching anxiously. When Beth started to drink, both vampires exhaled in relief.

When Beth opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Mick.

"You saved me… again." She whispered, and Mick couldn't help but smile at her. Everything looked sharper, clearer to her; it was amazing.

"I'm so sorry, Beth." Josef said from the middle of the room. She knew it couldn't have been more than a whisper, but she had heard him perfectly.

"Don't be sorry," She said with a teary laugh, "Now I can share eternity with my guardian angel." Mick laughed and sobbed at the same time as he moved closer to her. He soaked her in, absorbing her in her new state. Her eyes were still vampire blue, her fangs were dainty, but he knew they were lethal. Then, he kissed her deeply. He kissed her the way he'd always wanted to but had never allowed. Josef cleared his throat.

"I guess I'll call the Cleaner." Josef left the room, and Mick laughed at Beth's confused look.

"I've got a lot to learn." The blonde vampire whispered.

"Well, I've got eternity to teach you." Mick whispered with a smile. They kissed again, each of them knowing that this was how it was meant to be all along.


End file.
